MILAN, ITALY – MAY 24: Joao Felix of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with team mates Tijjani Reijnders, Francesco Camarda and Christian Pulisic during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Monza at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 24, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Matteo Gabbia and Ruben Loftus-Cheek admit it is ‘good that it’s over’ so Milan can start fresh next season, hoping to follow in Napoli’s footsteps with a complete reboot.
The Rossoneri saw out the campaign with a 2-0 victory over already relegated Monza at San Siro this evening, thanks to goals from Gabbia and Joao Felix.
However, the focus was more on what happened in the stands, specifically the fan protest that saw them form the message ‘Go Home’ in huge letters, followed by walking out after 15 minutes to continue chanting insults outside San Siro.
“It was a game that even just looking at the stadium was strange, but we know that the responsibility for that atmosphere is above all ours,” Gabbia told DAZN.
“We are very sad that the season went like this, it was negative for everyone and honestly it is good that it’s over so we can start from scratch in a month’s time.”
Are there any positives that Gabbia can take from the experience, where they did after all win the Supercoppa Italiana in January and reach the Coppa Italia Final?
“It is difficult to find something positive in this campaign, but there is a lot of quality in this squad. We feel bad for the fans, but we need to leave it all behind, learn from the mistakes we made and move forward.”
Milan will not be playing in Europe next season, something that hadn’t happened since 2019-20, although in that situation they were excluded to wipe the slate clean on Financial Fair Play breaches.
There can be hope presented to them with the example of Napoli, who went from 10th place to winning the Scudetto, partly because they did not have the distraction of European fixtures.
“This is the situation. Obviously, we’d have been happy to challenge for the Champions League, Europa League or other tournament, but in any case we will also have the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana, so there are plenty of games to play,” concluded Gabbia.
Loftus-Cheek also spoke to DAZN after the 2-0 win over Monza and tried to give his interview in Italian.
“I feel better today, I am happy with the win. We played the best we could today, the season is over and now we prepare for the next,” said the English midfielder.
“It’s not enough for us either, it’s difficult for us too, as the season is not enough for Milan, but football is like that sometimes.”
